Anna Karenina (1948)

A married woman (Vivien Leigh) visits her brother (Hugh Dempster) in Moscow and it is there that she meets the dashing Count Vronsky (Kieron Moore). Their love affair will ruin lives and end in tragedy. Based on the classic novel by Leo Tolstoy and directed by Julien Duvivier (PEPE LE MOKO). Tolstoy's novel has been filmed countless times for both film and television. The novel, of course, is too rich to satisfactorily translate to cinema without losing most of its complexity and most filmed versions eliminate everything outside of the Karenin(a)/Vronsky triangle. But of all the Annas I've seen, Vivien Leigh comes closest to capturing the angst and depth of Anna's suffering, much of it brought on by herself. Anna Karenina is a difficult character to embrace, a woman who leaves her child for her lover is never going to find many supporters. This handsomely shot (by Henri Alekan, ROMAN HOLIDAY) production is a solid adaptation all things considering. The underscore by Constant Lambert is a real beauty. With Ralph Richardson as Karenin, Sally Ann Howes, Martita Hunt, Michael Gough, Helen Haye, Mary Kerridge and Niall MacGinnis.